Chapter 440

Chapter 440

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Side Story: The Winds of the Western Regions (End)

This is absolutely not an exaggeration.

When the Da Yong army returned from the west of the Congling Mountains, heading towards the Yumen Pass along the northern route of the Silk Road, this was the most genuine reaction from the various countries along the way.

The nearest Dayuan and Kangju were the first to receive the news.

If the Da Yong, which replaced the Han Dynasty, suddenly sent troops to the Western Regions, seemingly intending to re-establish the Protectorate of the Western Regions, it was already shocking enough. Moreover, seeing that they could deploy such a large-scale army to the Congling Mountains, it was likely that they had already reclaimed the southern part of the Western Regions.

The subsequent news that the King of Kushan would personally go to Chang’an to apologize and seek peace with the Son of Heaven of Da Yong sounded like a complete lie!

This sounds too fake…

Bo Diao had just ascended the throne and was eager to expand his territory. With the accumulated strength of Kushan over the past century, even if the Da Yong army came from afar, they shouldn’t be his match. How could he have silently surrendered without much news of a battle?

Even if the legendary generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing of the former Han Dynasty were alive, such a situation shouldn’t occur!

But the King of Dayuan had no time to wonder why Da Yong had so many Ferghana horses. His subordinates could confirm from the marching troops that Bo Diao’s surrender was not a false rumor spread by the Central Plains army to annex these long-independent vassal states at minimal cost, but a real fact.

Years of border conflicts had made the King of Dayuan and his troops, even if they couldn’t recognize Bo Diao himself, able to confirm whether those marching with the Da Yong army were truly Kushan soldiers or disguised imposters.

The nearly ten thousand elite troops of Da Yong were not an exaggerated number!

Although Fu Gan led a troop south to the Big Snow Mountain to join forces with Ma Chao and Yan Xing to ensure no unrest in Kushan during Bo Diao’s visit to Chang’an, and Zhang He led another troop to station at the Congling Mountains to ensure the newly controlled countries there wouldn’t rebel again, the remaining troops, along with those from Shanshan and Jingjue, were enough to display their formidable might.

The King of Dayuan didn’t even know that while this troop was moving with the King of Kushan, another fast horse relayed a message directly to Shanshan, instructing Duan Wei, stationed between Yumen Pass and Shanshan, to march north and conquer the northern countries.

Anyway, just this troop alone was enough to put immense pressure on him.

Holding the diplomatic document issued by Lu Yuan, he couldn’t help but feel nervous seeing the wording.

Lu Yuan’s wording was quite friendly, but there was no friendliness in it.

She first mentioned the transition from Han to Da Yong and the transfer of territories, then brought up the early interactions between the Han Dynasty and Dayuan, saying that despite the previous conflicts over the Ferghana horses, the nobles of Dayuan had always been pragmatic, having killed two kings and installed a new king more favorable to the Central Plains, sending hostages to Chang’an to show no rebellious intent.

Although the Protectorate of the Western Regions had not yet been re-established, this tradition of pragmatism should continue. Could they provide food and drink for the army as they passed through to avoid any friction and prevent the thirty-six countries of the Western Regions from losing face in front of the King of Kushan?

Once the Protectorate of the Western Regions was re-established, Dayuan, having taken a clear stance early, would surely gain the favor of His Majesty of Da Yong, contributing to the long-term stability of the Western Regions.

The King of Dayuan fell silent.

Was this a threat or a threat?

In any case, it wasn’t a friendly alliance proposal.

If he didn’t take the initiative to seek peace and submit to Da Yong before their troops arrived, offering the provisions Lu Yuan mentioned in her letter, this army, having just defeated Kushan, wouldn’t mind launching another campaign.

Was he stronger than Kushan, which ruled over a dozen countries?

Of course not!

Not only he wasn’t, but Kangju, which received the news earlier, wasn’t either!

Due to the absurdity of the previous King of Kushan, Kangju had gained more independence, and with the Northern Xiongnu constantly losing battles outside the borders, they had to submit to Kangju, giving them a strong ally.

But when Lu Yuan delivered the passage document to Kangju, the King of Kangju reacted even more intensely than the King of Dayuan.

Kangju was not Dayuan.

Dayuan had a close vassal relationship with the Han Dynasty, but Kangju not only didn’t but had supported Dayuan in its wars against the Han and the Xiongnu in their conflicts with the Han, maintaining a hostile stance towards the Han Dynasty.

This confidence in opposing various land powers had been suppressed with the rise of Kushan, no longer as glorious as when they had an army of 120,000.

Now… no matter how Kushan was defeated by the Da Yong army, the Da Yong, which replaced the Han Dynasty, would form an alliance with Kushan. This passage notice seemed to say that once this visit to Chang’an was over, it would be time for them to jointly deal with Kangju.

“Our situation is dangerous,” the King of Kangju said after gathering his five subordinate kings. “The situation with the Xiongnu has been known to us for years. The Northern Xiongnu, lingering outside Bingzhou, were personally defeated by His Majesty of Da Yong, with their corpses hung outside the borders as a warning. This is one grudge.”

“Da Yong inherited all the entanglements of the Han Dynasty, naturally including our enmity. This is the second.”

With two grudges combined, and Da Yong needing to establish its military reputation, with Kushan already submitting, Kangju was the perfect target!

Having fought a distant war, would the Central Plains army fear the expense of another battle at their doorstep?

“If what you say is true, we should make some gesture in response to this invitation,” one of the subordinate kings pondered.

Kangju was no longer as glorious as before; its people were better at trading than fighting.

If, as the King of Kangju said, they would be the primary target of Da Yong’s attack, with Kushan assisting after submitting, they would face a devastating blow.

So rather than waiting for that disaster, they should seize the initiative.

Of course, this initiative didn’t mean attacking Da Yong and disrupting the order with the Protectorate of the Western Regions, but turning two enemies into one!

What better gift than the head of the Northern Xiongnu leader?

The King of Kangju and his subordinate kings exchanged glances, seeing agreement in each other’s eyes.

So when Lu Yuan and Bo Diao met the Kangju envoys, they saw each attendant holding a wooden box.

Inside the boxes were the heads of Xiongnu people!

Bo Diao didn’t know that his forced decision to visit Chang’an had also prompted the Kings of Kangju and Dayuan to submit. He only knew that although Da Yong hadn’t been established for long, it was showing signs of becoming a dynasty where all nations would come to pay tribute.

The Xiongnu, dependent on Kangju, probably never dreamed that their safe ally would turn around and deliver a fatal blow.

April and May were the time for the grasslands to return to normalcy for production and grazing.

Every winter, Kangju would move south to Leyuenidi, and by this time, they would move north to Fannei, closer to the Northern Xiongnu’s territory.

The King of Kangju wanting to meet their leader was perfectly normal.

But this meeting didn’t bring the two sides closer; instead, following the signal of a dropped cup, Kangju’s subordinates raised their swords against the Xiongnu nobles, turning them into a stepping stone for submission.

Lu Yuan had anticipated this outcome when she sent the diplomatic letter. As the Kangju envoys introduced the identities of the dead, she showed no surprise.

Having followed Qiao Yan for fourteen years, she had honed herself into a sharp yet flexible tool.

She never forgot the shared understanding she had with Qiao Yan when Qiao Yan was still the Marquis of Leping—

As a diplomatic envoy, one stands tall when the country is strong.

Now she represented Da Yong, making these Western Regions countries understand that the turmoil in the Central Plains had been completely settled, and the dynasty they should now recognize was Da Yong, with Qiao Yan as its emperor.

Why should a truly strong country fear small countries raising swords against barbarians?

In early May, when the marching troops arrived at Dayuan and Qiuci, she calmly accepted their submissions.

Besides the gifts and envoys selected by the kings to visit Chang’an, Lu Yuan unhesitatingly chose a hostage from each royal family to send to Chang’an.

In this grand march of Da Yong, the initiative for such conditions didn’t lie with the small countries’ kings.

The King of Dayuan even felt a bit uneasy as Lu Yuan left.

Looking at the Da Yong troops, the cavalry’s horses were of various breeds, so it was no wonder they didn’t accept the hastily gathered Ferghana horses but asked him to prepare more, not to be hasty in this matter.

This unsent gift wasn’t a piece of meat Dayuan hadn’t cut off but a sword hanging over their heads…

As he watched the troops continue eastward, the King of Dayuan thought this.

Fortunately, in June, he received what might be considered good news.

Cheshi was at war! He was safe.

Divided by the Tianshan Mountains, the Cheshi Front and Cheshi Rear showed completely opposite attitudes after Duan Wei’s troops arrived from Shanshan.

The Cheshi Front, established with the support of the Han Dynasty, had even assisted the Wuji Colonel in farming at Liuzhong. Now that Da Yong’s troops had returned, with another troop already in Qiuci, it was time to show their stance.

The Cheshi Rear, however, felt protected by the Tianshan Mountains and could retreat to the northern grasslands, not needing to acknowledge another master.

The barbaric nature of the Western Regions was fully displayed in the Cheshi Rear, even killing the soldiers Duan Wei sent to deliver the message.

Duan Wei毫不犹豫地选择了发兵天山之北。

以车师后部的态度，就算陆苑和波调的这支队伍亲自抵达，只怕也不会令他们有任何的想法。








Change.

Rather than giving them another chance to show off, it’s better to nip this danger in the bud.

The late Grand Commandant Duan Jiong once chased the Qiang people in battle, traveling thousands of miles day and night without rest. This same ferocity is evident in his clansman Duan Wei, though most of the time he appears more like a kind old man because he’s usually in charge of farmland reclamation.

But when facing the stubborn people of the Later Cheshi, he no longer needed to hold back in his actions.

This chase and battle in the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains and the northern deserts ended when Duan Wei beheaded the king of the Later Cheshi with his sword.

When he returned to Liuzhong, Lu Yuan’s team had just reached the Qin Sea area, surrounded by the states of Weixu and Yanqi between Qiuci and Cheshi. In later times, this place would be known as Bosten Lake, a thriving fishing area in the northern frontier.

However, Bo Diao, who was in the procession, felt a sense of choking pain when he was offered grilled fish by the hospitable Da Yong general, despite the rare and fragrant spices.

Throughout this journey, the eager reception from the northern frontier states made it clear to him that this newly established dynasty, though still in its infancy, was already a young lion capable of tearing invaders to shreds!

Choosing to make peace was an exceptionally wise decision for him.

This is the confidence of a great central plains nation!

Before the banquet ended, the results of the Cheshi battle were finalized with Duan Wei’s arrival, signifying that the twenty or so states formed from the original thirty-six Western Regions states no longer had any opposition to Da Yong.

All that remained was for the Son of Heaven of Da Yong to officially restart the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and this land would once again have a wise ruler.

He was just a step slow, but it meant total defeat…

But at this point, showing any signs of regret or unwillingness would do him no good. It was better to quickly accept reality, especially since their next stop was no longer the territory of a small state but the Yumen Pass of Liangzhou.

Envoys from Shanshan, Qiemo, Jingjue, Shache, Wulei, Shule, Kangju, Dayuan, Qiuci, Cheshi, and others, along with him, the king of the Kushan Empire, were all heading to that frontier fortress.

Once they crossed this gateway, they would enter the Western Regions, closer to the heart of Da Yong’s territory.

Liangzhou…

It was said that the commander of this expedition to the Western Regions was the highest official of Liangzhou.

Bo Diao had never been to Liangzhou before, only hearing about it from merchants traveling between the Hexi Four Commanderies and the Kushan Empire.

He heard that the various Qiang tribes were in constant internal strife, divided into countless factions, and local strongmen were also a troublesome force.

“Your information is timely in some aspects but outdated in others,” Jiang Tang replied upon hearing Bo Diao’s words.

He knew that the central plains had become part of Da Yong, but he didn’t know that Liangzhou had already begun to show signs of order much earlier.

In mid-June, Liangzhou was at its greenest and most prosperous.

Even the ever-changing Wushaoling displayed a rare natural beauty.

Bo Diao looked at the bustling Da Yong citizens around him, seeing the prosperity of what was supposed to be a remote frontier, and couldn’t help but show a look of surprise.

When the scenery of Guanzhong appeared before him as they passed through the Wei River Valley, any lingering thoughts that the Da Yong soldiers had driven him to a dead end by mere chance were completely dispelled.

It was a vast plain and overlapping waves of wheat ready for harvest that he could never have imagined. The well-dressed people and the patrol cavalry that his troops could never match were beyond his wildest dreams.

The gates of Chang’an opened wide for this self-proclaimed wise king and the envoys of over twenty small states behind him. Though not as flamboyant as the City of a Hundred Flowers with its carvings, the opening of these gates brought a silent awe.

Anything that seemed ordinary to the people of Chang’an was fresh and new to these foreign envoys.

They also had no idea how the uplifting spirit permeating the air of Chang’an had come to be.

Bo Diao even completed his homage to the Son of Heaven of Da Yong in a daze.

Only after being settled in the posthouse did he belatedly remember that he had intended to compare himself to the Son of Heaven upon meeting him.

Considering their similar ages at ascension, who could say that the Son of Heaven’s current status wasn’t just a matter of better luck?

But after the series of blows, he didn’t even dare to look directly into Qiao Yan’s eyes during the audience.

In later records found in the tomb of this Kushan king, he wrote:

[The strength of the dynasty is evident in every blade of grass, every tree, every building. How dare I compare myself to it?]

[The majesty of the emperor, I dare not look upon.]

Even though the Kushan Empire’s sovereignty remained intact during the reign of this founding emperor of Da Yong, and they even received agricultural teachings from the central plains, benefiting the people, Bo Diao did not erase these words from his notes, showing respect to the heavenly dynasty.

But this Son of Heaven, who he deemed “incomparable,” did not feel complacent about this first foreign tribute since his ascension. Instead, he spent the sleepless night planning the next steps.

Hearing that Lu Yuan intended to cultivate cotton in the northern frontier, and with the submission of Qiuci and other states, the conditions were indeed ripe. Qiao Yan smiled and agreed to her idea without mentioning the serendipity.

The re-established Protectorate of the Western Regions, due to the cotton fields, was naturally approved for its location.

“There’s one thing I want you to pay attention to,” Qiao Yan added to Lu Yuan. “The land of Shanshan wasn’t just swallowed by the desert due to the diversion of the Peacock River. If we don’t want it to be completely buried in sand one day, and to open up farmland and follow the central plains’ methods to ensure the people there can eat, we need to prepare in advance.”

Lu Yuan pondered and said, “You mean the stabilization of the desert soil in the Western Regions?”

“Actually, the laws of the Jingjue Kingdom, which lives in the wetlands, are related to this. For example, water usage cannot be excessive. If someone floods a rival’s fields, they will be punished. Cutting down sandalwood, tamarisk, and phoenix trees planted around is strictly prohibited, or else horses will be confiscated. Even cutting branches without permission results in a fine of one cow.”

This was something the Queen of Jingjue mentioned to Lu Yuan through a translator during a casual conversation.

Unfortunately, Jingjue was just a small state and couldn’t support large-scale afforestation.

But now, with Lu Yuan’s cotton field project, the work of windbreak and sand fixation to protect the homeland could begin.

“Then this task will be left to you and Gulan Duo.”

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but show satisfaction at Lu Yuan gaining a deputy during her Western Regions trip.

Now, there weren’t many things left for her to decide.

She thought for a moment and said, “One last thing—”

“I want to erect another stele on the top floor of the Xuanyuan Pavilion.”

This wasn’t directed at Lu Yuan, who had just returned, but at Huang Yueying, who was summoned before her.

When Lu Yuan and the others arrived in Chang’an, something else was also rushed there.

It was the battle report and casualty list sent by Fu Gan after meeting with Yan Xing, Ma Chao, and others.

Qiao Yan now held this in her hands.

Thinking of the perilous crossing of the Xuandu Mountains, where even a slight misstep could mean death, she felt the weight of the honor of the Western Regions’ tribute.

The soldiers who died in this battle had not returned to their homeland but were hastily buried on the icy peaks. For people who valued “falling leaves returning to their roots,” this was a particularly cruel end.

She couldn’t help but sigh before continuing, “Order the Ministry of Works and the Painting Academy to design a stele. On the back, first inscribe the deeds of reclaiming the Protectorate of the Western Regions and crossing the Xuandu Mountains.”

It would be impossible to carve all the names on it.

As more soldiers shed blood in future battles and the Da Yong dynasty continued, this stele on the top floor would inevitably record more deeds. While the names could be faithfully recorded in Da Yong’s documents, the stele wouldn’t have enough space.

But as these crucial battles for Da Yong’s foundation were inscribed, the soldiers who fought for their lives crossing the snowy peaks would not be just a passing mention in history.

“Additionally—”

Huang Yueying couldn’t understand why Qiao Yan’s expression seemed to carry something more, but she could hear the resolute tone in the emperor’s words, leaving no room for dissent.

Regardless of whether placing this stele on the top floor was unconventional, she had no intention of changing the plan.

“On the front of the stele, write fourteen characters: ‘The people are the water, the ruler is the boat; the water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it.'”

“Below that, write seven smaller characters: ‘Monument to the People’s Heroes.'”

Not commoners or peasants.

But the people.

Author’s Note:

① The concept of “the people” actually existed in the “Rites of Zhou,” but it wasn’t commonly used in ancient times.

“Mencius” also said, “The treasures of a feudal lord are three: land, people, and governance.”

Though it sounds a bit chuunibyou, it feels like it’s ingrained in our DNA.

I thought it fitting to bring it up with the crossing of the Xuandu Mountains.

If anyone in the court thinks this shouldn’t be done, Qiao Qiao can just say, “Feel free to climb the snowy mountains yourself.”

The location of the Xuandu Mountains, a bit further east, is near the area of K2.

I don’t even know how the Tang Dynasty’s Gao Xianzhi led his troops across to attack Little Palur, so I simplified Ma Chao and the others’ crossing.

The Western Regions part is over, and the remaining bits will be mentioned in the maritime and later discussions.

Don’t think the actions of those states killing the Northern Xiongnu and presenting treasures are too exaggerated. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, they did the same, and back then, the Han Dynasty didn’t even have the chance to deal with them.

Now, if they don’t cooperate quickly, they’ll have to worry about being settled.

Once cotton is cultivated on a large scale in the Western Regions and the Protectorate is fully stabilized, it will be time for Lu Yuan to return and get promoted.

See you tomorrow at 9:30 AM, with the second maritime sidestory starting.